Author
Topic: Last book you read. (Read 41469 times)

I'm not sure Animal Farm was a prediction, wasn't it more of a description? By the time he wrote it the Soviet Union had already gone down that path. I also get a bit annoyed when people take 1984 to be a prediction, saying things like 'Orwell was right, what he predicted in 1984 is coming true'. 1984 wasn't intended to predict the events of a future Europe, it was a cautionary tale about totalitarianism. He did write some predictions for the post war years and they were generally optimistic. They were also quite accurate (although he predicted the post-war labour shortage would be filled by Poles, rather than West-Indians and Indians, so he missed out on the multiculturalism that so invigorated Britain. Even then, the Poles did come, in the end. But that's a whole other subject.)

I'm not sure Animal Farm was a prediction, wasn't it more of a description? By the time he wrote it the Soviet Union had already gone down that path. I also get a bit annoyed when people take 1984 to be a prediction, saying things like 'Orwell was right, what he predicted in 1984 is coming true'. 1984 wasn't intended to predict the events of a future Europe, it was a cautionary tale about totalitarianism. He did write some predictions for the post war years and they were generally optimistic. They were also quite accurate (although he predicted the post-war labour shortage would be filled by Poles, rather than West-Indians and Indians, so he missed out on the multiculturalism that so invigorated Britain. Even then, the Poles did come, in the end. But that's a whole other subject.)

I think 1984 and Animal Farm were the least interesting of his books. I like his journalism and essays. But, yes, it was rather good. In his collected works there is a letter from an American publisher rejecting Animal Farm with a short note saying 'animal stories aren't selling at the moment'. A few months later they sent another note begging to publish it! He gave away the translation rights to anyone willing to publish it.

I'm not sure Animal Farm was a prediction, wasn't it more of a description? By the time he wrote it the Soviet Union had already gone down that path. I also get a bit annoyed when people take 1984 to be a prediction, saying things like 'Orwell was right, what he predicted in 1984 is coming true'. 1984 wasn't intended to predict the events of a future Europe, it was a cautionary tale about totalitarianism. He did write some predictions for the post war years and they were generally optimistic. They were also quite accurate (although he predicted the post-war labour shortage would be filled by Poles, rather than West-Indians and Indians, so he missed out on the multiculturalism that so invigorated Britain. Even then, the Poles did come, in the end. But that's a whole other subject.)

Animal Farm was published in 1945 when the Soviets were on the up and up.

I wouldn't call the height of the Stalinist dictatorship 'the up and up'. The Soviet experiment in communism had long since descended into tragedy by 1945. Orwell knew this, but the left in the UK were deliberately turning a blind eye to it.

I wouldn't call the height of the Stalinist dictatorship 'the up and up'. The Soviet experiment in communism had long since descended into tragedy by 1945. Orwell knew this, but the left in the UK were deliberately turning a blind eye to it.

I meant that the economy was booming andthat it was one of the biggest superpowers of theera.

I wouldn't call the height of the Stalinist dictatorship 'the up and up'. The Soviet experiment in communism had long since descended into tragedy by 1945. Orwell knew this, but the left in the UK were deliberately turning a blind eye to it.

The Soviet Union started to die in January 1918 with the closure of the Constituent Assembly. It finally died in March 1921 with the massacre at the Kronstadt mutiny. With that Lenin's experiment failed in Soviet Russia.

Hardinge's work is generally excellent. Billed as a children's book, it deals with genocide, superstition, betrayal, idealism, and so on. I'd strongly recommend her work, with the caveat that it's not as easy as it might looks.

Lynch has a compelling style which he uses to portray a character that's very much style over substance. There is a element however, in which the book itself suffers the same fate. It's very good style, but I found myself not really caring about the central character as much as the supporting cast.

Very interesting book, good description of battles and such. Should definately be made into a full motion picture

Currently: The God Delusion (although I have already read it several times, I just love the argumentation and the way it is written. Can only hope to remember all the arguments, so that I might remember it to when debating with hardcore christians.

Currently: The God Delusion (although I have already read it several times, I just love the argumentation and the way it is written. Can only hope to remember all the arguments, so that I might remember it to when debating with hardcore christians.

I attempted to listen to this on audiotape, but promptly realised that it's the most useless medium on which to have a book of its nature.

Logged

<Woldy> ohlol<Woldy> I thought someone was blowing a vuvuzela<Woldy> and I shouted shut up over the fence<Woldy> and later found out it was someone trying to play a trombone